adidas Samba

What year do you think the Samba was introduced? No phones allowed, just come up with what feels right. Don't worry we'll wait...

Got it? Cool, so how many of you guessed that the Samba debuted in 1949? It's one of the earliest shoes produced by adidas, given that Adi Dassler registered Adi Dassler adidas Sportschuhfabrik as a company in the same year. We'll be honest and admit that we didn't even realise how far back the Samba's history stretches. To be fair though, the original Samba did look like this. It was released in anticipation of the 1950 football World Cup in Brazil, which is where the name "Samba" – the Brazilian music genre – comes from.

The most recognisable Samba is the 1970s iteration of the shoe with a low-cut leather upper, suede mudguard and dark gum sole. Second only to the Stan Smith this is the second-best-selling adidas model of all time. Thanks to the simple and effective design these go well with just about anything, which has been a driving force behind the resurgence of this model in the past few seasons. Fashion is fleeting, but style is forever.